Molecular and genetic aspects of plant responses to osmotic stress

Terpenoid trans-caryophyllene inhibits weed germination and induces plant water status alteration and oxidative damage in adult Arabidopsis

trans-Caryophyllene (TC) is a sesquiterpene commonly found as volatile component in many different aromatic plants. Although the phytotoxic effects of trans-caryophyllene on seedling growth are relatively explored, not many information is available regarding the phytotoxicity of this sesquiterpenes on weed germination and on adult plants. The phytotoxic potential of TC was assayed in vitro on weed germination and seedling growth to validate its phytotoxic potential on weed species. Moreover, it was assayed on the metabolism of Arabidopsis thaliana adult plants, through two different application ways, spraying and watering, in order to establish the primary affected organ and to deal with the unknown mobility of the compound. The results clearly indicated that TC inhibited both seed germination and root growth, as demonstrated by comparison of the ED50 values. Moreover, although trans-caryophyllene-sprayed adult Arabidopsis plants did not show any effect, trans-caryophyllene-watered plants became strongly affected. The results suggested that root uptake was a key step for the effectiveness of this natural compound and its phytotoxicity on adult plants was mainly due to the alteration of plant water status accompanied by oxidative damage.

OsSAPK2 Confers Abscisic Acid Sensitivity and Tolerance to Drought Stress in Rice

SNF 1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 2 (SnRK2) is a family of plant-specific protein kinases which is the key regulator of hyper-osmotic stress signaling and abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent development in various plants. Among the rice subclass-I and -II SnRK2s, osmotic stress/ABA-activated protein kinase 2 (SAPK2) may be the primary mediator of ABA signaling. However, SAPK2 has not been comprehensively characterized. In this study, we elucidated the functional properties of SAPK2 using loss-of-function mutants produced with the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The SAPK2 expression level was strongly upregulated by drought, high-salinity, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments. The sapk2 mutants exhibited an ABA-insensitive phenotype during the germination and post-germination stages, suggesting that SAPK2 had a pivotal role related to ABA-mediated seed dormancy. The sapk2 mutants were more sensitive to drought stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) than the wild-type plants, indicating that SAPK2 was important for responses to drought conditions in rice. An additional investigation revealed that SAPK2 increased drought tolerance in the following two ways: (i) by reducing water loss via the accumulation of compatible solutes, promoting stomatal closure, and upregulating the expression levels of stress-response genes such as OsRab16b, OsRab21, OsbZIP23, OsLEA3, OsOREB1 and slow anion channel (SLAC)-associated genes such as OsSLAC1 and OsSLAC7; (ii) by inducing the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes to promote ROS-scavenging abilities that will ultimately decrease ROS damages. Moreover, we also observed that SAPK2 significantly increased the tolerance of rice plants to salt and PEG stresses. These findings imply that SAPK2 is a potential candidate gene for future crop improvement studies.

A CBL-Interacting Protein Kinase TaCIPK2 Confers Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco Plants through Regulating the Stomatal Movement

In plants, the CBL-CIPK signaling pathways play key roles in the response to abiotic stresses. However, functional studies of CIPKs in the important staple crop wheat are very rare. In this study, we identified a CIPK gene from wheat, designated TaCIPK2. Expression analysis results showed that TaCIPK2 could be up-regulated in wheat leaves by polyethylene glycol, abscisic acid and H2O2 treatments. Subcellular localization analyses revealed that TaCIPK2 was present in whole wheat epidermal cells. A yeast two-hybrid assay indicated that TaCIPK2 interacted with TaCBL1, 2, 3 and 4 in vitro. Transgenic tobacco plants over-expressing TaCIPK2 exhibited increased drought tolerance, indicated by a larger proportion of green cotyledons and higher survival rates under the osmotic and drought stress conditions compared with control plants. Additionally, physiological index analyses revealed that the transgenic tobacco plants had lower water loss rates and ion leakage, accumulated less malondialdehyde and H2O2, and had higher catalase and superoxide dismutase activities than the control plants. The transgenic plants also exhibited faster stomatal closure following exposure to osmotic stress conditions. The seed germination rates and stomatal aperture of TaCIPK2-overexpressing tobacco plants decreased after exogenous abscisic acid treatment was applied, implying that the transgenic tobacco plants were more sensitive to exogenous abscisic acid than the control plants. Our results indicate that TaCIPK2 plays a positive regulatory role in drought stress responses in transgenic tobacco plants.

Excess boron responsive regulations of antioxidative mechanism at physio-biochemical and molecular levels in Arabidopsis thaliana

This work was aimed to evaluate the effect of boron (B) toxicity on oxidative damage level, non-enzymatic antioxidant accumulation such as anthocyanin, flavonoid and proline and expression levels of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) and their respective activities as well as expression levels of miR398 and miR408 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants were germinated and grown on MS medium containing 1 mM B (1B) and 3 mM B (3B) for 14 d. Toxic B led to a decrease of photosynthetic pigments and an increase in accumulation of total soluble and insoluble sugars in accordance with phenotypically viewed chlorosis of seedlings through increasing level of B concentration. Along with these inhibitions, a corresponding increase in contents of flavonoid, anthocyanin and proline occurred that provoked oxidative stress tolerance. 3B caused a remarkable increase in total SOD activity whereas the activities of APX, GR and CAT remained unchanged as verified by expected increase in H₂O₂ content. In contrast to GR, the coincidence was found between the expressions of SOD and APX genes and their respective activities. 1B induced mir398 expression, whereas 3B did not cause any significant change in expression of mir408 and mir398. Expression levels of GR genes were coordinately regulated with DHAR2 expression. Moreover, the changes in expression level of MDAR2 was in accordance with changes in APX6 expression and total APX activity, indicating fine-tuned regulation of ascorbate-glutathione cycle which might trigger antioxidative responses against B toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Genomic Basis of Adaptive Evolution: The Survival of Amur Ide (Leuciscus waleckii) in an Extremely Alkaline Environment

The Amur ide (Leuciscus waleckii) is a cyprinid fish that is widely distributed in Northeast Asia. The Lake Dali Nur population inhabits one of the most extreme aquatic environments on Earth, with an alkalinity up to 50 mmol/L (pH 9.6), thus providing an exceptional model with which to characterize the mechanisms of genomic evolution underlying adaptation to extreme environments. Here, we developed the reference genome assembly for L. waleckii from Lake Dali Nur. Intriguingly, we identified unusual expanded long terminal repeats (LTRs) with higher nucleotide substitution rates than in many other teleosts, suggesting their more recent insertion into the L. waleckii genome. We also identified expansions in genes encoding egg coat proteins and natriuretic peptide receptors, possibly underlying the adaptation to extreme environmental stress. We further sequenced the genomes of 10 additional individuals from freshwater and 18 from Lake Dali Nur populations, and we detected a total of 7.6 million SNPs from both populations. In a genome scan and comparison of these two populations, we identified a set of genomic regions under selective sweeps that harbor genes involved in ion homoeostasis, acid-base regulation, unfolded protein response, reactive oxygen species elimination, and urea excretion. Our findings provide comprehensive insight into the genomic mechanisms of teleost fish that underlie their adaptation to extreme alkaline environments.

MID1 plays an important role in response to drought stress during reproductive development

Drought during rice reproductive development results in yield loss. It is important to understand the functions of drought-responsive genes in reproductive tissues for improving rice yield under water-deficit conditions. We show here that MID1 (MYB Important for Drought Response1), encoding a putative R-R-type MYB-like transcription factor, can improve rice yield under drought. MID1 was primarily expressed in root and leaf vascular tissues, with low level in the tapetum, and was induced by drought and other abiotic stresses. Compared with wild type, MID1-overexpressing plants were more tolerant to drought at both vegetative and reproductive stages and produced more grains under water stress. MID1-overexpressing plants exhibited less severe anther defects such as deformed anther locules, abnormal tapetum, degenerated microspores and expanded middle layer, with improved pollen fertility and higher seed setting rate. MID1 was localized to the nucleus and could activate gene expression in yeast, and its homologs were identified in many other plants with high levels sequence similarity. In addition, candidate MID1-regulated genes were analyzed using RNA-seq and qRT-PCR, including genes crucial for stress responses and anther development, with altered expressions in the florets of MID1-overexpressing plants and RNAi lines. Furthermore, MID1 could bind to the promoters of two drought-related genes (Hsp17.0 and CYP707A5) and one anther developmental gene (KAR) according to ChIP-qPCR data. Our findings suggest that MID1 is a transcriptional regulator that promotes rice male development under drought by modulating the expressions of drought-related and anther developmental genes and provide valuable information for crop improvement.

Suppression of Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in Chloroplasts Prevents Leaf Damage but Not Growth Arrest in Salt-Stressed Tobacco Plants

Crop yield reduction due to salinity is a growing agronomical concern in many regions. Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells accompanies many abiotic stresses including salinity, acting as toxic and signaling molecules during plant stress responses. While ROS are generated in various cellular compartments, chloroplasts represent a main source in the light, and plastid ROS synthesis and/or elimination have been manipulated to improve stress tolerance. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing a plastid-targeted cyanobacterial flavodoxin, a flavoprotein that prevents ROS accumulation specifically in chloroplasts, displayed increased tolerance to many environmental stresses, including drought, excess irradiation, extreme temperatures and iron starvation. Surprisingly, flavodoxin expression failed to protect transgenic plants against NaCl toxicity. However, when high salt was directly applied to leaf discs, flavodoxin did increase tolerance, as reflected by preservation of chlorophylls, carotenoids and photosynthetic activities. Flavodoxin decreased salt-dependent ROS accumulation in leaf tissue from discs and whole plants, but this decline did not improve tolerance at the whole plant level. NaCl accumulation in roots, as well as increased osmotic pressure and salt-induced root damage, were not prevented by flavodoxin expression. The results indicate that ROS formed in chloroplasts have a marginal effect on plant responses during salt stress, and that sensitive targets are present in roots which are not protected by flavodoxin.

Plant adaptation to drought stress

Plants in their natural habitats adapt to drought stress in the environment through a variety of mechanisms, ranging from transient responses to low soil moisture to major survival mechanisms of escape by early flowering in absence of seasonal rainfall. However, crop plants selected by humans to yield products such as grain, vegetable, or fruit in favorable environments with high inputs of water and fertilizer are expected to yield an economic product in response to inputs. Crop plants selected for their economic yield need to survive drought stress through mechanisms that maintain crop yield. Studies on model plants for their survival under stress do not, therefore, always translate to yield of crop plants under stress, and different aspects of drought stress response need to be emphasized. The crop plant model rice ( Oryza sativa) is used here as an example to highlight mechanisms and genes for adaptation of crop plants to drought stress.

Transcriptome profiling of the salt-stress response in Triticum aestivum cv. Kharchia Local

Kharchia Local wheat variety is an Indian salt tolerant land race known for its tolerance to salinity. However, there is a lack of detailed information regarding molecular mechanism imparting tolerance to high salinity in this bread wheat. In the present study, differential root transcriptome analysis identifying salt stress responsive gene networks and functional annotation under salt stress in Kharchia Local was performed. A total of 453,882 reads were obtained after quality filtering, using Roche 454-GS FLX Titanium sequencing technology. From these reads 22,241 ESTs were generated out of which, 17,911 unigenes were obtained. A total of 14,898 unigenes were annotated against nr protein database. Seventy seven transcription factors families in 826 unigenes and 11,002 SSRs in 6,939 unigenes were identified. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database identified 310 metabolic pathways. The expression pattern of few selected genes was compared during the time course of salt stress treatment between salt-tolerant (Kharchia Local) and susceptible (HD2687). The transcriptome data is the first report, which offers an insight into the mechanisms and genes involved in salt tolerance. This information can be used to improve salt tolerance in elite wheat cultivars and to develop tolerant germplasm for other cereal crops.

Genome-wide identification, structural analysis and new insights into late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene family formation pattern in Brassica napus

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are a diverse and large group of polypeptides that play important roles in desiccation and freezing tolerance in plants. The LEA family has been systematically characterized in some plants but not Brassica napus. In this study, 108 BnLEA genes were identified in the B. napus genome and classified into eight families based on their conserved domains. Protein sequence alignments revealed an abundance of alanine, lysine and glutamic acid residues in BnLEA proteins. The BnLEA gene structure has few introns (<3), and they are distributed unevenly across all 19 chromosomes in B. napus, occurring as gene clusters in chromosomes A9, C2, C4 and C5. More than two-thirds of the BnLEA genes are associated with segmental duplication. Synteny analysis revealed that most LEA genes are conserved, although gene losses or gains were also identified. These results suggest that segmental duplication and whole-genome duplication played a major role in the expansion of the BnLEA gene family. Expression profiles analysis indicated that expression of most BnLEAs was increased in leaves and late stage seeds. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the LEA gene family in B. napus and provides new insights into the formation of this family.

Transcriptome Profiling of Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) under Salinity and Its Comparative Analysis with Sweetpotato

The response and adaption to salt remains poorly understood for beach morning glory [Ipomoea imperati (Vahl) Griseb], one of a few relatives of sweetpotato, known to thrive under salty and extreme drought conditions. In order to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying salt tolerance of a Convolvulaceae member, a genome-wide transcriptome study was carried out in beach morning glory by 454 pyrosequencing. A total of 286,584 filtered reads from both salt stressed and unstressed (control) root and shoot tissues were assembled into 95,790 unigenes with an average length of 667 base pairs (bp) and N50 of 706 bp. Putative differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified as transcripts overrepresented under salt stressed tissues compared to the control, and were placed into metabolic pathways. Most of these DEGs were involved in stress response, membrane transport, signal transduction, transcription activity and other cellular and molecular processes. We further analyzed the gene expression of 14 candidate genes of interest for salt tolerance through quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and confirmed their differential expression under salt stress in both beach morning glory and sweetpotato. The results comparing transcripts of I. imperati against the transcriptome of other Ipomoea species, including sweetpotato are also presented in this study. In addition, 6,233 SSR markers were identified, and an in silico analysis predicted that 434 primer pairs out of 4,897 target an identifiable homologous sequence in other Ipomoea transcriptomes, including sweetpotato. The data generated in this study will help in understanding the basics of salt tolerance of beach morning glory and the SSR resources generated will be useful for comparative genomics studies and further enhance the path to the marker-assisted breeding of sweetpotato for salt tolerance.

Identification and Comparative Analysis of Differential Gene Expression in Soybean Leaf Tissue under Drought and Flooding Stress Revealed by RNA-Seq

Drought and flooding are two major causes of severe yield loss in soybean worldwide. A lack of knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in drought and flood stress has been a limiting factor for the effective management of soybeans; therefore, it is imperative to assess the expression of genes involved in response to flood and drought stress. In this study, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under drought and flooding conditions were investigated using Illumina RNA-Seq transcriptome profiling. A total of 2724 and 3498 DEGs were identified under drought and flooding treatments, respectively. These genes comprise 289 Transcription Factors (TFs) representing Basic Helix-loop Helix (bHLH), Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs), myeloblastosis (MYB), No apical meristem (NAC), and WRKY amino acid motif (WRKY) type major families known to be involved in the mechanism of stress tolerance. The expression of photosynthesis and chlorophyll synthesis related genes were significantly reduced under both types of stresses, which limit the metabolic processes and thus help prolong survival under extreme conditions. However, cell wall synthesis related genes were up-regulated under drought stress and down-regulated under flooding stress. Transcript profiles involved in the starch and sugar metabolism pathways were also affected under both stress conditions. The changes in expression of genes involved in regulating the flux of cell wall precursors and starch/sugar content can serve as an adaptive mechanism for soybean survival under stress conditions. This study has revealed the involvement of TFs, transporters, and photosynthetic genes, and has also given a glimpse of hormonal cross talk under the extreme water regimes, which will aid as an important resource for soybean crop improvement.

A Polynucleotide Repeat Expansion Causing Temperature-Sensitivity Persists in Wild Irish Accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana

Triplet repeat expansions underlie several human genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease and Friedreich's ataxia. Although such mutations are primarily known from humans, a triplet expansion associated genetic defect has also been reported at the IIL1 locus in the Bur-0 accession of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The IIL1 triplet expansion is an example of cryptic genetic variation as its phenotypic effects are seen only under genetic or environmental perturbation, with high temperatures resulting in a growth defect. Here we demonstrate that the IIL1 triplet expansion associated growth defect is not a general stress response and is specific to particular environmental perturbations. We also confirm and map genetic modifiers that suppress the effect of IIL1 triplet repeat expansion. By collecting and analyzing accessions from the island of Ireland, we recover the repeat expansion in wild populations suggesting that the repeat expansion has persisted at least 60 years in Ireland. Through genome-wide genotyping, we show that the repeat expansion is present in diverse Irish populations. Our findings indicate that even deleterious alleles can persist in populations if their effect is conditional. Our study demonstrates that analysis of groups of wild populations is a powerful tool for understanding the dynamics of cryptic genetic variation.

Heterologous Expression of AtWRKY57 Confers Drought Tolerance in Oryza sativa

Drought stress is a severe environmental factor that greatly restricts plant distribution and crop production. Recently, we have found that overexpressing AtWRKY57 enhanced drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we further reported that the Arabidopsis WRKY57 transcription factor was able to confer drought tolerance to transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) plants. The enhanced drought tolerance of transgenic rice was resulted from the lower water loss rates, cell death, malondialdehyde contents and relative electrolyte leakage while a higher proline content and reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzyme activities was observed during stress conditions. Moreover, further investigation revealed that the expression levels of several stress-responsive genes were up-regulated in drought-tolerant transgenic rice plants, compared with those in wild-type plants. In addition to the drought tolerance, the AtWRKY57 over-expressing plants also had enhanced salt and PEG stress tolerances. Taken together, our study indicates that over-expressing AtWRKY57 in rice improved not only drought tolerance but also salt and PEG tolerance, demonstrating its potential role in crop improvement.

Transcriptome Response Mediated by Cold Stress in Lotus japonicus

Members of the Lotus genus are important as agricultural forage sources under marginal environmental conditions given their high nutritional value and tolerance of various abiotic stresses. However, their dry matter production is drastically reduced in cooler seasons, while their response to such conditions is not well studied. This paper analyzes cold acclimation of the genus by studying Lotus japonicus over a stress period of 24 h. High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to identify and classify 1077 differentially expressed genes, of which 713 were up-regulated and 364 were down-regulated. Up-regulated genes were principally related to lipid, cell wall, phenylpropanoid, sugar, and proline regulation, while down-regulated genes affected the photosynthetic process and chloroplast development. Together, a total of 41 cold-inducible transcription factors were identified, including members of the AP2/ERF, NAC, MYB, and WRKY families; two of them were described as putative novel transcription factors. Finally, DREB1/CBFs were described with respect to their cold stress expression profiles. This is the first transcriptome profiling of the model legume L. japonicus under cold stress. Data obtained may be useful in identifying candidate genes for breeding modified species of forage legumes that more readily acclimate to low temperatures.

Wheat TaSP gene improves salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

A novel salt-induced gene with unknown functions was cloned through analysis of gene expression profile of a salt-tolerant wheat mutant RH8706-49 under salt stress. The gene was named Triticum aestivum salt-related protein (TaSP) and deposited in GenBank (Accession No. KF307326). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results showed that TaSP expression was induced under salt, abscisic acid (ABA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) stresses. Subcellular localization revealed that TaSP was mainly localized in cell membrane. Overexpression of TaSP in Arabidopsis could improve salt tolerance of 35S::TaSP transgenic Arabidopsis. 35S::TaSP transgenic Arabidopsis lines after salt stress presented better physiological indexes than the control group. In the non-invasive micro-test (NMT), an evident Na(+) excretion was observed at the root tip of salt-stressed 35S::TaSP transgenic Arabidopsis. TaSP promoter was cloned, and its beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activities before and after ABA, salt, cold, heat, and salicylic acid (SA) stresses were determined. Full-length TaSP promoter contained ABA and salt response elements.

Variation in Populus euphratica foliar carbon isotope composition and osmotic solute for different groundwater depths in an arid region of China

Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important trait associated with plant acclimation caused by water deficits, and δ13C is a good surrogate of WUE under conditions of water deficits. Water deficiency also enhances the accumulation of compatible solutes in the leaves. In this study, variations in foliar δ(13)C values and main osmotic solutes were investigated. Those included total soluble sugar (TSS), sucrose, free proline, glycine betaine (GB), and inorganic ionic (K+, Ca2+, and Cl-) content of Populus euphratica for different groundwater depths in a Ejina desert riparian forest, China. Results indicated that foliar δ13C values in the P. euphratica for different groundwater depths ranged from -29.14±0.06 to -25.84±0.04 ‰. Foliar δ13C signatures became richer as groundwater levels declined. TSS, sucrose, free proline, GB, and K+ were accumulated in P. euphratica foliage with developing plant growth and increasing groundwater depth. Ca2+ and Cl- content increased under stronger P. euphratica transpiration rates for shallower groundwater depths (1-2.5 m) and decreased for deeper groundwater depths (greater than 3.0 m). Moreover, correlations between δ13C, osmotic solutes, and groundwater depths showed that the primary osmotic solutes were TSS, sucrose, proline, GB, and K+. Correlations also showed that δ13C was not only a useful measure for P. euphratica-integrated WUE but also could be used as an indicator reflecting some physiological osmotic indexes.

Effects of salinity on the growth, physiology and relevant gene expression of an annual halophyte grown from heteromorphic seeds

Seed heteromorphism provides plants with alternative strategies for survival in unfavourable environments. However, the response of descendants from heteromorphic seeds to stress has not been well documented. Suaeda aralocaspica is a typical annual halophyte, which produces heteromorphic seeds with disparate forms and different germination characteristics. To gain an understanding of the salt tolerance of descendants and the impact of seed heteromorphism on progeny of this species, we performed a series of experiments to investigate the plant growth and physiological parameters (e.g. osmolytes, oxidative/antioxidative agents and enzymes), as well as expression patterns of corresponding genes. Results showed that osmolytes (proline and glycinebetaine) were significantly increased and that excess reactive oxygen species ([Formula: see text] H2O2) produced under high salinity were scavenged by increased levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase) and corresponding antioxidants (ascorbic acid and glutathione). Moreover, enhancement of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity at high salt intensity had a positive effect on photosynthesis. The descendants from heteromorphic seeds presented no significant difference in performance with or without salinity. In conclusion, we found that high salinity induced the same active physiological responses in plants from heteromorphic seeds of S. aralocaspica, there was no carry-over of seed heteromorphism to plants: all the descendants required salinity for optimal growth and adaptation to their natural habitat.

Understanding salinity responses and adopting 'omics-based' approaches to generate salinity tolerant cultivars of rice

Soil salinity is one of the main constraints affecting production of rice worldwide, by reducing growth, pollen viability as well as yield of the plant. Therefore, detailed understanding of the response of rice towards soil salinity at the physiological and molecular level is a prerequisite for its effective management. Various approaches have been adopted by molecular biologists or breeders to understand the mechanism for salinity tolerance in plants and to develop salt tolerant rice cultivars. Genome wide analysis using 'omics-based' tools followed by identification and functional validation of individual genes is becoming one of the popular approaches to tackle this task. On the other hand, mutation breeding and insertional mutagenesis has also been exploited to obtain salinity tolerant crop plants. This review looks into various responses at cellular and whole plant level generated in rice plants toward salinity stress thus, evaluating the suitability of intervention of functional genomics to raise stress tolerant plants. We have tried to highlight the usefulness of the contemporary 'omics-based' approaches such as genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and phenomics towards dissecting out the salinity tolerance trait in rice. In addition, we have highlighted the importance of integration of various 'omics' approaches to develop an understanding of the machinery involved in salinity response in rice and to move forward to develop salt tolerant cultivars of rice.

Calcineurin B-Like Protein-Interacting Protein Kinase CIPK21 Regulates Osmotic and Salt Stress Responses in Arabidopsis

The role of calcium-mediated signaling has been extensively studied in plant responses to abiotic stress signals. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) constitute a complex signaling network acting in diverse plant stress responses. Osmotic stress imposed by soil salinity and drought is a major abiotic stress that impedes plant growth and development and involves calcium-signaling processes. In this study, we report the functional analysis of CIPK21, an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CBL-interacting protein kinase, ubiquitously expressed in plant tissues and up-regulated under multiple abiotic stress conditions. The growth of a loss-of-function mutant of CIPK21, cipk21, was hypersensitive to high salt and osmotic stress conditions. The calcium sensors CBL2 and CBL3 were found to physically interact with CIPK21 and target this kinase to the tonoplast. Moreover, preferential localization of CIPK21 to the tonoplast was detected under salt stress condition when coexpressed with CBL2 or CBL3. These findings suggest that CIPK21 mediates responses to salt stress condition in Arabidopsis, at least in part, by regulating ion and water homeostasis across the vacuolar membranes.

Transcriptome Profiling and Molecular Pathway Analysis of Genes in Association with Salinity Adaptation in Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus is a freshwater fish but can tolerate a wide range of salinities. The mechanism of salinity adaptation at the molecular level was studied using RNA-Seq to explore the molecular pathways in fish exposed to 0, 8, or 16 (practical salinity unit, psu). Based on the change of gene expressions, the differential genes unions from freshwater to saline water were classified into three categories. In the constant change category (1), steroid biosynthesis, steroid hormone biosynthesis, fat digestion and absorption, complement and coagulation cascades were significantly affected by salinity indicating the pivotal roles of sterol-related pathways in response to salinity stress. In the change-then-stable category (2), ribosomes, oxidative phosphorylation, signaling pathways for peroxisome proliferator activated receptors, and fat digestion and absorption changed significantly with increasing salinity, showing sensitivity to salinity variation in the environment and a responding threshold to salinity change. In the stable-then-change category (3), protein export, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, tight junction, thyroid hormone synthesis, antigen processing and presentation, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis—keratan sulfate were the significantly changed pathways, suggesting that these pathways were less sensitive to salinity variation. This study reveals fundamental mechanism of the molecular response to salinity adaptation in O. niloticus, and provides a general guidance to understand saline acclimation in O. niloticus.

Involvement of calmodulin and calmodulin-like proteins in plant responses to abiotic stresses

Transient changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration have been well recognized to act as cell signals coupling various environmental stimuli to appropriate physiological responses with accuracy and specificity in plants. Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs) are major Ca(2+) sensors, playing critical roles in interpreting encrypted Ca(2+) signals. Ca(2+)-loaded CaM/CMLs interact and regulate a broad spectrum of target proteins such as channels/pumps/antiporters for various ions, transcription factors, protein kinases, protein phosphatases, metabolic enzymes, and proteins with unknown biochemical functions. Many of the target proteins of CaM/CMLs directly or indirectly regulate plant responses to environmental stresses. Basic information about stimulus-induced Ca(2+) signal and overview of Ca(2+) signal perception and transduction are briefly discussed in the beginning of this review. How CaM/CMLs are involved in regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses are emphasized in this review. Exciting progress has been made in the past several years, such as the elucidation of Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated regulation of AtSR1/CAMTA3 and plant responses to chilling and freezing stresses, Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated regulation of CAT3, MAPK8 and MKP1 in homeostasis control of reactive oxygen species signals, discovery of CaM7 as a DNA-binding transcription factor regulating plant response to light signals. However, many key questions in Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated signaling warrant further investigation. Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated regulation of most of the known target proteins is presumed based on their interaction. The downstream targets of CMLs are mostly unknown, and how specificity of Ca(2+) signaling could be realized through the actions of CaM/CMLs and their target proteins is largely unknown. Future breakthroughs in Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated signaling will not only improve our understanding of how plants respond to environmental stresses, but also provide the knowledge base to improve stress-tolerance of crops.

Physiological and Molecular Responses to Excess Boron in Citrus macrophylla W

This work provides insight into several mechanisms involved in boron (B) regulation pathway in response to high B conditions in Citrus. The study was carried out in Citrus macrophylla W. (Cm) seedlings cultured "in vitro" in media with 50 or 400 μM H3BO3 (control, Ct, and B-excess, +B, plants, respectively). Growth parameters, B concentration, leaf chlorophyll (Chl) concentration, the expression of the main putative genes involved in B transport and distribution, and leaf and root proline and malonaldehyde (MDA) concentrations, were assessed. Excess B led to high B concentration in +B plants (3.8- and 1.4-fold in leaves and roots, respectively) when compared with Ct ones. However, a minor effect was recorded in the plant (incipient visual symptoms, less than 27% reduction in root growth and 26% decrease in Chl b concentration). B toxicity down-regulated by half the expression level of putative B transporter genes NIP5 and PIP1. CmBOR1 gene was not repressed in +B plants and B accumulated in the shoots. High B level increased the transcripts of putative gene TIP5, involved in B transport across the tonoplast, by 3.3- and 2.4-fold in leaves and roots, respectively. The activity of V-PPiase proton pump, related with the electrochemical gradient in the vacuole, was also enhanced in +B organs. B toxicity up-regulated putative BOR4 gene (2.1- and 2.7-fold in roots and leaves, respectively), which codifies for an active efflux B transporter. Accordingly, B was located in +B plants preferently in an insoluble form on cell walls. Finally, excess B caused a significant rise in proline concentration (51% and 34% in roots and leaves, respectively), while the MDA level did not exceed 20%. In conclusion, Cm tolerance to a high B level is likely based on the synergism of several specific mechanisms against B toxicity, including: 1/ down-regulation of NIP5 and PIP1 boron transporters; 2/ activation of B efflux from cells due to the up-regulation of putative BOR4 gene; 3/ compartmentation of B in the vacuole through TIP5 transporter activation and the acidification of the organelle; 4/ insolubilisation of B and deposition in cell walls preventing from cytoplasm damage; and, 5/ induction of an efficient antioxidant system through proline accumulation.

Regulation of invertase activity in different root zones of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings in the course of osmotic adjustment under water deficit conditions

Osmotic adjustment of roots is an essential adaptive mechanism to sustain water uptake and root growth under water deficit. In this paper, the role of invertases (β-fructofuranosidase, EC 3.2.1.26) in osmotic adjustment was investigated in the root tips (cell division and elongation zone) and the root maturation zone of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Josef) in the course of osmotic stress imposed by 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000. The two root zones investigated differed distinctly in the response of invertases to water deprivation. In the root tips, the activity of the vacuolar and cell wall-bound invertases increased markedly under water stress resulting in the accumulation of hexoses (glucose and fructose) that contributed significantly to osmotic adjustment. A transient rise in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) preceded the enhancement of invertases upon exposure to osmotic stress. Treatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) abolished the stress induced H2O2 production and suppressed the stimulation of the vacuolar invertase activity, whereas the activity of the cell wall-bound invertase was not influenced by DPI. As a consequence of the inhibitory effect of DPI on the vacuolar invertase, hexose levels and osmotic adjustment were also markedly decreased in the root tips under water deficit in the presence of DPI. These data suggest that H2O2 probably generated by a NADPH oxidase is required as a signalling molecule for the up-regulation of the vacuolar invertase activity in the root tips under osmotic stress, thereby enhancing the capacity for osmotic adjustment. In the root maturation zone, an early H2O2 signal could not be detected in response to PEG application. Only an increase in the glucose level that was not paralleled by fructose and a slight stimulation of the activity of the vacuolar invertase occurred in the maturation zone after water deprivation. The stress induced accumulation of glucose in the maturation zone was not affected by DPI and thus seems to be not regulated by NADPH oxidase-derived H2O2. Altogether, osmotic adjustment was considerably smaller in the maturation zone than in the root tips.

RNA-seq Reveals Complicated Transcriptomic Responses to Drought Stress in a Nonmodel Tropic Plant, Bombax ceiba L

High-throughput transcriptome provides an unbiased approach for understanding the genetic basis and gene functions in response to different conditions. Here we sequenced RNA-seq libraries derived from a Bombax ceiba L. system under a controlled experiment. As a known medicinal and ornamental plant, B. ceiba grows mainly in hot-dry monsoon rainforests in Southeast Asia and Australia. Due to the specific growth environment, it has evolved a unique system that enables a physiologic response to drought stress. To date, few studies have characterized the genome-wide features of drought endurance in B. ceiba. In this study, we first attempted to characterize and identify the most differentially expressed genes and associated functional pathways under drought treatment and normal condition. Using RNA-seq technology, we generated the first transcriptome of B. ceiba and identified 59 differentially expressed genes with greater than 1,000-fold changes under two conditions. The set of upregulated genes implicates interplay among various pathways: plants growth, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, polysaccharides hydrolyzation, oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis, etc. In contrast, genes associated with stem growth, cell division, fruit ripening senescence, disease resistance, and proline synthesis are repressed. Notably, key genes of high RPKM levels in drought are AUX1, JAZ, and psbS, which are known to regulate the growth of plants, the resistance against abiotic stress, and the photosynthesis process. Furthermore, 16,656 microsatellite markers and 3,071 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were predicted by in silico methods. The identification and functional annotation of differentially expressed genes, microsatellites, and SNPs represent a major step forward and would serve as a valuable resource for understanding the complexity underlying drought endurance and adaptation in B. ceiba.

Ectopic Expression of a Glycine soja myo-Inositol Oxygenase Gene (GsMIOX1a) in Arabidopsis Enhances Tolerance to Alkaline Stress

Myo-inositol participates in various aspects of plant physiology, and myo-inositol oxygenase is the key enzyme of the myo-inositol oxygenation pathway. Previous studies indicated that myo-inositol oxygenase may play a role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, we focused on the functional characterization of GsMIOX1a, a remarkable alkaline stress-responsive gene of Glycine soja 07256, based on RNA-seq data. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we demonstrated that GsMIOX1a is rapidly induced by alkaline stress and expressed predominantly in flowers. We also elucidated the positive function of GsMIOX1a in the alkaline response in the wild type, atmiox1 mutant as well as GsMIOX1a-overexpressing Arabidopsis. We determined that atmiox1 mutant decreased Arabidopsis tolerance to alkaline stress, whereas GsMIOX1a overexpression increased tolerance. Moreover, the expression levels of some alkaline stress-responsive and inducible marker genes, including H⁺-Ppase, NADP-ME, KIN1 and RD29B, were also up-regulated in GsMIOX1a overexpression lines compared with the wild type and atmiox1 mutant. Together, these results suggest that the GsMIOX1a gene positively regulates plant tolerance to alkaline stress. This is the first report to demonstrate that ectopic expression of myo-inositol oxygenase improves alkaline tolerance in plants.

Constitutive high-level SOS1 expression and absence of HKT1;1 expression in the salt-accumulating halophyte Salicornia dolichostachya

We investigated the effects of salinity on ion accumulation and expression of candidate salt tolerance genes in the highly tolerant salt accumulating halophyte Salicornia dolichostachya and the taxonomically related glycophytic Spinacia oleracea. S. dolichostachya, in comparison with S. oleracea, constitutively expressed SOS1 at a high level, but did not detectably express HKT1;1. These findings suggest that the constitutive high level of shoot salt accumulation in S. dolichostachya is accomplished through enhancement of SOS1-mediated Na(+) xylem loading, in combination with complete suppression of HKT1;1-mediated Na(+) retrieval from the xylem. Our findings demonstrate the importance of gene expression comparisons between highly tolerant halophytes and taxonomically related glycophytes to improve the understanding of mechanisms of Na(+) movement and salt tolerance in plants.

Potential role of phytohormones and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in abiotic stresses: consequences for changing environment

Plants are sessile beings, so the need of mechanisms to flee from unfavorable circumstances has provided the development of unique and sophisticated responses to environmental stresses. Depending on the degree of plasticity, many morphological, cellular, anatomical, and physiological changes occur in plants in response to abiotic stress. Phytohormones are small molecules that play critical roles in regulating plant growth and development, as well as stress tolerance to promote survival and acclimatize to varying environments. To congregate the challenges of salinity, temperature extremes, and osmotic stress, plants use their genetic mechanism and different adaptive and biological approaches for survival and high production. In the present attempt, we review the potential role of different phytohormones and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in abiotic stresses and summarize the research progress in plant responses to abiotic stresses at physiological and molecular levels. We emphasized the regulatory circuits of abscisic acid, indole acetic acid, cytokinins, gibberellic acid, salicylic acid, brassinosteroids, jasmonates, ethylene, and triazole on exposure to abiotic stresses. Current progress is exemplified by the identification and validation of several significant genes that enhanced crop tolerance to stress in the field. These findings will make the modification of hormone biosynthetic pathways for the transgenic plant generation with augmented abiotic stress tolerance and boosting crop productivity in the coming decades possible.

AtDsPTP1 acts as a negative regulator in osmotic stress signalling during Arabidopsis seed germination and seedling establishment

Dual-specificity protein phosphatases (DsPTPs) target both tyrosine and serine/threonine residues and play roles in plant growth and development. We have characterized an Arabidopsis mutant, dsptp1, which shows a higher seed germination rate and better root elongation under osmotic stress than the wild type. By contrast, its overexpression line, DsPTP1-OE, shows inhibited seed germination and root elongation; and its complemented line, DsPTP1-Com, resembles the wild type and rescues DsPTP1-OE under osmotic stress. Expression of AtDsPTP1 is enhanced by osmotic stress in seed coats, bases of rosette leaves, and roots. Compared with the wild type, the dsptp1 mutant shows increased proline accumulation, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content and ion leakage, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity in response to osmotic stress. AtDsPTP1 regulates the transcript levels of various dehydration-responsive genes under osmotic stress. Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in dsptp1 under osmotic stress is reduced with reduced expression of the ABA-biosynthesis gene NCED3 and increased expression of the ABA-catabolism gene CYP707A4. AtDsPTP1 also regulates the expression of key components in the ABA-signalling pathway. In conclusion, AtDsPTP1 regulates ABA accumulation, and acts as a negative regulator in osmotic stress signalling during Arabidospsis seed germination and seedling establishment.

Transcriptome analysis of canola (Brassica napus) under salt stress at the germination stage

Canola (Brassica napus) is one of the most important oil crops in the world. However, its yield has been constrained by salt stress. In this study, transcriptome profiles were explored using Digital Gene Expression (DGE) at 0, 3, 12 and 24 hours after H2O (control) and NaCl treatments on B. napus roots at the germination stage. Comparisons of gene-expression between the control and the treatment were conducted after tag-mapping to the sequenced Brassica rapa genome. The differentially expressed genes during the time course of salt stress were focused on, and 163 genes were identified to be differentially expressed at all the time points. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses revealed that some of the genes were involved in proline metabolism, inositol metabolism, carbohydrate metabolic processes and oxidation-reduction processes and may play vital roles in the salt-stress response at the germination stage. Thus, this study provides new candidate salt stress responding genes, which may function in novel putative nodes in the molecular pathways of salt stress resistance.

The effects of salt stress cause a diversion of basal metabolism in barley roots: possible different roles for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase isoforms

In this study the effects of salt stress and nitrogen assimilation have been investigated in roots of hydroponically-grown barley plants exposed to 150 mM NaCl, in presence or absence of ammonium as the sole nitrogen source. Salt stress determines a diversion of root metabolism towards the synthesis of osmolytes, such as glycine betaine and proline, and increased levels of reduced glutathione. The metabolic changes triggered by salt stress result in a decrease in both activities and protein abundance of key enzymes, namely GOGAT and PEP carboxylase, and in a slight increase in HSP70. These variations would enhance the requirement for reductants supplied by the OPPP, consistently with the observed increase in total G6PDH activity. The involvement and occurrence of the different G6PDH isoforms have been investigated, and the kinetic properties of partially purified cytosolic and plastidial G6PDHs determined. Bioinformatic analyses examining co-expression profiles of G6PDHs in Arabidopsis and barley corroborate the data presented. Moreover, the gene coding for the root P2-G6PDH isoform was fully sequenced; the biochemical properties of the corresponding protein were examined experimentally. The results are discussed in the light of the possible distinct roles and regulation of the different G6PDH isoforms during salt stress in barley roots.

RNAi-based functional elucidation of PtrPRP, a gene encoding a hybrid proline rich protein, in cold tolerance of Poncirus trifoliata

Hybrid proline-rich proteins (HyPRPs) have been suggested to play important roles in various plant development and stress response. In this study, we report the cloning and functional analysis of PtrPRP, a HyPRP-encoding gene of Poncirus trifoliata. PtrPRP contains 176 amino acids, among which 21% are proline residues, and has an 8-cysteine motif (8 CM) domain at the C terminal, a signal peptide and a proline-rich region at the N terminal. PtrPRP is constitutively expressed in root, stem and leaf, with the highest expression levels in leaf. It was progressively induced by cold, but transiently upregulated by salt and ABA. Transgenic P. trifoliata plants with knock-down PtrPRP by RNA interference (RNAi) were generated to investigate the role of PtrPRP in cold tolerance. When challenged by low temperature, the PtrPRP-RNAi plants displayed more sensitive performance compared with wild type (WT), as shown by higher electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. In addition, the RNAi lines accumulated more reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lower levels of proline relative to WT. These results suggested that PtrPRP might be positively involved in cold tolerance by maintaining membrane integrity and ROS homeostasis.

Expression of TaWRKY44, a wheat WRKY gene, in transgenic tobacco confers multiple abiotic stress tolerances

The WRKY transcription factors have been reported to be involved in various plant physiological and biochemical processes. In this study, we successfully assembled 10 unigenes from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of wheat and designated them as TaWRKY44-TaWRKY53, respectively. Among these genes, a subgroup I gene, TaWRKY44, was found to be upregulated by treatments with PEG6000, NaCl, 4°C, abscisic acid (ABA), H2O2 and gibberellin (GA). The TaWRKY44-GFP fusion protein was localized to the nucleus of onion epidermal cells, and TaWRKY44 was able to bind to the core DNA sequences of TTGACC and TTAACC in yeast. The N-terminal of TaWRKY44 showed transcriptional activation activity. Expression of TaWRKY44 in tobacco plants conferred drought and salt tolerance and transgenic tobacco exhibited a higher survival rate, relative water content (RWC), soluble sugar, proline and superoxide dismutase (SOD) content, as well as higher activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), but less ion leakage (IL), lower contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and H2O2. In addition, expression of TaWRKY44 also increased the seed germination rate in the transgenic lines under osmotic stress conditions while exhibiting a lower H2O2 content and higher SOD, CAT, and POD activities. Expression of TaWRKY44 upregulated the expression of some reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes and stress-responsive genes in tobacco under osmotic stresses. These data demonstrate that TaWRKY44 may act as a positive regulator in drought/salt/osmotic stress responses by either efficient ROS elimination through direct or indirect activation of the cellular antioxidant systems or activation of stress-associated gene expression.

PtrBAM1, a β-amylase-coding gene of Poncirus trifoliata, is a CBF regulon member with function in cold tolerance by modulating soluble sugar levels

β-Amylase (BAM) catalyses starch breakdown to generate maltose, which can be incorporated into sugar metabolism. However, the role of BAM genes in cold tolerance is less characterized. In this study, we report the isolation and functional characterization of a chloroplast-localizing BAM-encoding gene PtrBAM1 from Poncirus trifoliata. PtrBAM1 was induced by cold, dehydration and salt, but repressed by maltose. Overexpression of PtrBAM1 in tobacco (Nicotiana nudicaulis) increased BAM activity, promoted starch degradation and enhanced the contents of maltose and soluble sugars, whereas opposite changes were observed when PtrBAM1 homolog in lemon (Citrus lemon) was knocked down. The tobacco overexpressing lines exhibited enhanced tolerance to cold at chilling or freezing temperatures. Under cold stress, higher BAM activity and greater accumulation of maltose and soluble sugars were observed in the overexpressing lines when compared with the wild-type or empty vector transformants. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that PtrBAM1 promoter contained a CBF-recognizing element. Yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated that PtrCBF could interact with the promoter fragment containing the element. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PtrBAM1 is a member of CBF regulon and plays an important role in cold tolerance by modulating the levels of soluble sugars acting as osmolytes or antioxidants.

Plasmodesmata in integrated cell signalling: insights from development and environmental signals and stresses

To survive as sedentary organisms built of immobile cells, plants require an effective intercellular communication system, both locally between neighbouring cells within each tissue and systemically across distantly located organs. Such a system enables cells to coordinate their intracellular activities and produce concerted responses to internal and external stimuli. Plasmodesmata, membrane-lined intercellular channels, are essential for direct cell-to-cell communication involving exchange of diffusible factors, including signalling and information molecules. Recent advances corroborate that plasmodesmata are not passive but rather highly dynamic channels, in that their density in the cell walls and gating activities are tightly linked to developmental and physiological processes. Moreover, it is becoming clear that specific hormonal signalling pathways play crucial roles in relaying primary cellular signals to plasmodesmata. In this review, we examine a number of studies in which plasmodesmal structure, occurrence, and/or permeability responses are found to be altered upon given cellular or environmental signals, and discuss common themes illustrating how plasmodesmal regulation is integrated into specific cellular signalling pathways.

How plants cope with heavy metals

Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the earth's crust but anthropogenic and industrial activities have led to drastic environmental pollutions in distinct areas. Plants are able to colonize such sites due to several mechanisms of heavy metal tolerance. Understanding of these pathways enables different fruitful approaches like phytoremediation and biofortification.Therefore, this review addresses mechanisms of heavy metal tolerance and toxicity in plants possessing a sophisticated network for maintenance of metal homeostasis. Key elements of this are chelation and sequestration which result either in removal of toxic metal from sensitive sites or conduct essential metal to their specific cellular destination. This implies shared pathways which can result in toxic symptoms especially in an excess of metal. These overlaps go on with signal transduction pathways induced by heavy metals which include common elements of other signal cascades. Nevertheless, there are specific reactions some of them will be discussed with special focus on the cellular level.

Gene expression profiling by cDNA-AFLP reveals potential candidate genes for partial resistance of 'Président Roulin' against Venturia inaequalis

Background

Scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is one of the most important diseases of cultivated apple. While a few scab resistance genes (R genes) governing qualitative resistance have been isolated and characterized, the biological roles of genes governing quantitative resistance, supposed to be more durable, are still unknown. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the partial resistance of the old Belgian apple cultivar ‘Président Roulin’ against V. inaequalis.

Results

A global gene expression analysis was conducted in ‘Président Roulin’ (partially resistant) and in ‘Gala’ (susceptible) challenged by V. inaequalis by using the cDNA-AFLP method (cDNA-Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism). Transcriptome analysis revealed significant modulation (up- or down-regulation) of 281 out of approximately 20,500 transcript derived fragments (TDFs) in ‘Président Roulin’ 48 hours after inoculation. Sequence annotation revealed similarities to several genes encoding for proteins belonging to the NBS-LRR and LRR-RLK classes of plant R genes and to other defense-related proteins. Differentially expressed genes were sorted into functional categories according to their gene ontology annotation and this expression signature was compared to published apple cDNA libraries by Gene Enrichment Analysis. The first comparison was made with two cDNA libraries from Malus x domestica uninfected leaves, and revealed in both libraries a signature of enhanced expression in ‘Président Roulin’ of genes involved in response to stress and photosynthesis. In the second comparison, the pathogen-responsive TDFs from the partially resistant cultivar were compared to the cDNA library from inoculated leaves of Rvi6 (HcrVf2)-transformed ‘Gala’ lines (complete disease resistance) and revealed both common physiological events, and notably differences in the regulation of defense response, the regulation of hydrolase activity, and response to DNA damage. TDFs were in silico mapped on the ‘Golden Delicious’ apple reference genome and significant co-localizations with major scab R genes, but not with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for scab resistance nor resistance gene analogues (RGAs) were found.

Conclusions

This study highlights possible candidate genes that may play a role in the partial scab resistance mechanisms of ‘Président Roulin’ and increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the partial resistance against apple scab.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1043) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of salt gland-associated genes and characterization of a dehydrin from the salt secretor mangrove Avicennia officinalis

BACKGROUND

Salt stress is a major challenge for growth and development of plants. The mangrove tree Avicennia officinalis has evolved salt tolerance mechanisms such as salt secretion through specialized glands on its leaves. Although a number of structural studies on salt glands have been done, the molecular mechanism of salt secretion is not clearly understood. Also, studies to identify salt gland-specific genes in mangroves have been scarce.

RESULTS

By subtractive hybridization (SH) of cDNA from salt gland-rich cell layers (tester) with mesophyll tissues as the driver, several Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) were identified. The major classes of ESTs identified include those known to be involved in regulating metabolic processes (37%), stress response (17%), transcription (17%), signal transduction (17%) and transport functions (12%). A visual interactive map generated based on predicted functional gene interactions of the identified ESTs suggested altered activities of hydrolase, transmembrane transport and kinases. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was carried out to validate the expression specificity of the ESTs identified by SH. A Dehydrin gene was chosen for further experimental analysis, because it is significantly highly expressed in salt gland cells, and dehydrins are known to be involved in stress remediation in other plants. Full-length Avicennia officinalis Dehydrin1 (AoDHN1) cDNA was obtained by Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends. Phylogenetic analysis and further characterization of this gene suggested that AoDHN1 belongs to group II Late Embryogenesis Abundant proteins. qRT-PCR analysis of Avicennia showed up-regulation of AoDHN1 in response to salt and drought treatments. Furthermore, some functional insights were obtained by growing E. coli cells expressing AoDHN1. Growth of E. coli cells expressing AoDHN1 was significantly higher than that of the control cells without AoDHN1 under salinity and drought stresses, suggesting that the mangrove dehydrin protein helps to mitigate the abiotic stresses.

CONCLUSIONS

Thirty-four ESTs were identified to be enriched in salt gland-rich tissues of A. officinalis leaves. qRT-PCR analysis showed that 10 of these were specifically enriched in the salt gland-rich tissues. Our data suggest that one of the selected genes, namely, AoDHN1 plays an important role to mitigate salt and drought stress responses.

Morphological and physiological responses of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants to salinity

Salinization usually plays a primary role in soil degradation, which consequently reduces agricultural productivity. In this study, the effects of salinity on growth parameters, ion, chlorophyll, and proline content, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activities, and lipid peroxidation of two cotton cultivars, [CCRI-79 (salt tolerant) and Simian 3 (salt sensitive)], were evaluated. Salinity was investigated at 0 mM, 80 mM, 160 mM, and 240 mM NaCl for 7 days. Salinity induced morphological and physiological changes, including a reduction in the dry weight of leaves and roots, root length, root volume, average root diameter, chlorophyll and proline contents, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. In addition, salinity caused ion imbalance in plants as shown by higher Na+ and Cl- contents and lower K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations. Ion imbalance was more pronounced in CCRI-79 than in Simian3. In the leaves and roots of the salt-tolerant cultivar CCRI-79, increasing levels of salinity increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR), but reduced catalase (CAT) activity. The activities of SOD, CAT, APX, and GR in the leaves and roots of CCRI-79 were higher than those in Simian 3. CAT and APX showed the greatest H2O2 scavenging activity in both leaves and roots. Moreover, CAT and APX activities in conjunction with SOD seem to play an essential protective role in the scavenging process. These results indicate that CCRI-79 has a more effective protection mechanism and mitigated oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation by maintaining higher antioxidant activities than those in Simian 3. Overall, the chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and Chl (a+b) contents, net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance, SOD, CAT, APX, and GR activities showed the most significant variation between the two cotton cultivars.

Understanding the complex nature of salinity and drought-stress response in cereals using proteomics technologies

Worldwide, crop productivity is drastically reduced by drought and salinity stresses. In order to develop food crops with increased productivity in marginal areas, it is important to first understand the nature of plant stress response mechanisms. In the past decade, proteomics tools have been extensively used in the study of plants' proteome responses under experimental conditions mimicking drought and salinity stresses. A lot of proteomic data have been generated using different experimental designs. However, the precise roles of these proteins in stress tolerance are yet to be elucidated. This review summarises the applications of proteomics in understanding the complex nature of drought and salinity stress effects on plants, particularly cereals and also highlights the usefulness of sorghum as the next logical model crop for use in understanding drought and salinity tolerance in cereals. With the vast amount of proteomic data that have been generated to date, a call for integrated efforts across the agricultural, biotechnology, and molecular biology sectors is also highlighted in an effort to translate proteomics data into increased food productivity for the world's growing population.

Physiological and gene expression responses of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants differ according to irrigation placement

To investigate effects of soil moisture heterogeneity on plant physiology and gene expression in roots and leaves, three treatments were implemented in sunflower plants growing with roots split between two compartments: a control (C) treatment supplying 100% of plant evapotranspiration, and two treatments receiving 50% of plant evapotranspiration, either evenly distributed to both compartments (deficit irrigation - DI) or unevenly distributed to ensure distinct wet and dry compartments (partial rootzone drying - PRD). Plants receiving the same amount of water responded differently under the two irrigation systems. After 3 days, evapotranspiration was similar in C and DI, but 20% less in PRD, concomitant with decreased leaf water potential (Ψleaf) and increased leaf xylem ABA concentration. Six water-stress responsive genes were highly induced in roots growing in the drying soil compartment of PRD plants, and their expression was best correlated with local soil water content. On the other hand, foliar gene expression differed significantly from that of the root and correlated better with xylem ABA concentration and Ψleaf. While the PRD irrigation strategy triggered stronger physiological and molecular responses, suggesting a more intense and systemic stress reaction due to local dehydration of the dry compartment of PRD plants, the DI strategy resulted in similar water savings without strongly inducing these responses. Correlating physiological and molecular responses in PRD/DI plants may provide insights into the severity and location of water deficits and may enable a better understanding of long-distance signalling mechanisms.

A stress responsive gene of Fortunella crassifolia FcSISP functions in salt stress resistance

Exploration of genes functioning in salt tolerance is crucial for generating transgenic plants with enhanced salt tolerance. In this study, we report the isolation and functional characterization of a stress-responsive gene FcSISP from Meiwa kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia). FcSISP encodes a putative protein of 47 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 4.94 kDa and theoretical isoelectric point of 3.76, and was localized in the nucleus. Transcript levels of FcSISP were induced by dehydration, cold, salt and bacterium causing citrus canker, and hormones (salicylic acid and abscisic acid), with the greatest induction under salt treatment. Overexpression of FcSISP in tobacco (Nicotiana nudicaulis) conferred enhanced salt tolerance. The transgenic lines accumulated lower Na(+) contents, leading to reduced Na/K ratio, but accumulated more proline than the wild type (WT). Steady state mRNA levels of genes involved in Na(+) exchange (three SOS genes and three NHX genes) and proline synthesis (P5CS and P5CR) were higher in the transgenic lines in comparison with WT. Moreover, overexpression of FcSISP in trifoliate orange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.], a widely-used and salt-sensitive citrus rootstock, led to elevated salt tolerance. Taken together, the data demonstrate that FcSISP plays a positive role in salt tolerance and that it holds a great potential for engineering salt tolerance in crops.

OsiSAP1 overexpression improves water-deficit stress tolerance in transgenic rice by affecting expression of endogenous stress-related genes

OsiSAP1, an A20/AN1 zinc-finger protein, confers water-deficit stress tolerance at different stages of growth by affecting expression of several endogenous genes in transgenic rice. Transgenic lines have been generated from rice constitutively expressing OsiSAP1, an A20/AN1 zinc-finger containing stress-associated protein gene from rice, driven by maize UBIQUITIN gene promoter and evaluated for water-deficit stress tolerance at different stages of growth. Their seeds show early germination and seedlings grow better under water-deficit stress compared to non-transgenic (NT) rice. Leaves from transgenic seedlings showed lesser membrane damage and lipid peroxidation under water-deficit stress. Relatively lower rate of leaf water loss has been observed in detached intact leaves from transgenic plants during late vegetative stage. Delayed leaf rolling and higher relative water content were also observed in transgenic plants under progressive water-deficit stress during reproductive developmental stage. Although reduction in grain yield is observed under unstressed condition, the relative water-deficit stress-induced yield losses are lower in transgenic rice vis-à-vis NT plants thereby resulting in yield loss protection. Transcriptome analysis suggests that overexpression of OsiSAP1 in transgenic rice results in altered expression of several endogenous genes including those coding for transcription factors, membrane transporters, signaling components and genes involved in metabolism, growth and development. A total of 150 genes were found to be more than twofold up-regulated in transgenic rice of which 43 genes are known to be involved in stress response. Our results suggest that OsiSAP1 is a positive regulator of water-deficit stress tolerance in rice.